After sitting atop the rankings with National Championship hype, the Texas Longhorns find themselves outside of the AP Top 25 after an abysmal performance against the Florida Gators in Gainesville. They looked outmatched in the trenches on both sides of the ball, struggling to get the offense going and getting pushed around on the defensive side of the ball.
Florida offense: 457 yards (298 passing, 159 rushing)
The Florida offense got anything they wanted to do against the Texas defense for most of the day, with quarterback DJ Lagway, who had struggled
ahead of the bye, taking advantage of having his weapons back. He put up 298 yards in the contest, his highest total against a Power Four team, while freshman wide receiver Dallas Wilson hauled in six receptions for 111 yards and two touchdowns — all Florida freshman records. Lagway was 5-of-6 passing on third downs for 8.3 yards per play and took advantage of explosive play opportunities, completing 4-of-7 passes for 56 yards on routes longer than 15 yards — finishing the day averaging 10.6 yards per attempt.
Running back Jadan Baugh also notched a career high of 107 yards, thanks in large part to the Florida offensive line having its way with the Texas defensive front. The Gators’ offensive line averaged 3.3 line yards per rush and 1.3 second-level yards per carry, helping the Gators stay on pace.
Texas offense: 341 yards (289 passing, 52 rushing)
On the other sideline, the Texas offense never truly got going, struggling to move the Gators off the ball and abandoning the rush early in the game. Texas running backs combined for 11 yards on nine carries, with just four attempts in the second half of the game. They had just four attempts in the second half of the game for just one yard, a late one-yard touchdown run by Quintrevion Wisner. On the day, the Texas offense was stuffed on 31 percent of its carries, creating 2.2 line yards per rush. The Longhorns finished with less than 100 yards for the eighth time under Steve Sarkisian. Texas is 1-7 in those contests, with the lone win coming in overtime against Arizona State in the CFP.
Quarterback Arch Manning showed flashes of brilliance, but also showed the inconsistency that plagued him early in the season. His best stretch the game was a high-octane run of 7-of-10 passing for 145 yards and both of his passing touchdowns, operating the offense at full-tilt and moving the ball down the field efficiently. He also put the ball into peril in multiple spots, resulting in two interceptions, and struggled to hit the deep ball overall. Eleven of his 19 incompletions came on passes longer than 15 yards, a continued trend for the Texas offense.
Texas third-down offense: 3/11 (27.3 percent)
Perhaps the most disturbing continued trend for Texas under Steve Sarkisian is the Longhorns’ inability to convert on third downs, turning in a sub-30 percent performance on third down for the thirteenth time under Sarkisian. Texas converted just one third down in the first half, a 3rd and 2 with one minute left in the game. They faced an average distance to go of 11.1 yards, taking more than half of their attempts from 10 yards or more. Texas was also penalized three times on third downs, backing themselves up in already unfavorable position.
The biggest issue for Texas on third downs may have been their performance on first downs, averaging just 5.2 yards per first down, including 10 rushes for seven yards. The Longhorns shot themselves in the foot by holding on first down, putting themselves beyond the full chains twice by holding opponents. Both holding penalties came on drives that ended with interceptions.
